Canadian Frost Dates

Dates below reflects normal averages for a light freeze (29° to 32°F, or -2° to 0°C); local weather and topography may cause considerable variations. The possibility of frost occurring after the spring dates and before the fall dates is 50 percent. The classification of freezing temperatures is usually based on their effect on plants. A light freeze kills only tender plants, with little destructive effect on other vegetation.

I would like to see some

I would like to see some frost info for Northwest Ontario. There is no info for anything west of Thunder Bay in Ontario. I would like to see info for Dryden, Vermilion Bay, Sioux Lookout, and Red Lake included. Our weather conditions are very different, from the rest of Ontario.

For any data that is not

For any data that is not listed on our page, you can check Environment Canada's Canadian Climate Normals database at the following location. Some weather stations will include the "Frost Free" category:http://climate.weather.gc.ca/c...
Once you select a province and weather station, click on the link to take you to the main data page, then click on the "Normals" tab, then at the next page, scroll down until you see "Frost-Free" category--click to expand and see the data.
Dryden lists 127 frost-free days on average. Last spring frost: May 16; first fall frost: September 21.http://climate.weather.gc.ca/c...
I could not find a weather station for Vermilion Bay.
Sioux Lookout lists 128 frost-free days on average. Last spring frost: May 19; first fall frost: September 25.http://climate.weather.gc.ca/c...
Red Lake lists 111 frost-free days on average. Last spring frost: May 29; first fall frost: September 18.http://climate.weather.gc.ca/c...

The dates shown here for

The dates shown here for Victoria are from the Airport, located 25 km north of the city in an area extremely prone to frost. This is not reflective of Victoria. To state that Vancouver and Chilliwack have longer frost free periods than Victoria is, of course, ridiculous. At the Victoria Gonzales weather station, located in the City of Victoria near the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the average frost free period for 1981-2010 was 307 days (Feb. 7 to Dec. 11).

I see lots of information

I see lots of information about frost dates, but we are looking for the average date that the ground freezes with regard to the fall planting of garlic. The cloves generally need three weeks to establish before ground freeze up and wondering if Nov. 15 is too late, or could we expect the ground not to settle into a frozen state 6 inches down until mid December. We are located north of Belleville Ontario. Thanks

Our advice is to plant fall

Our advice is to plant fall garlic soon after the first major winter frost of the year, usually between mid-October and late November depending on your local climate. Cover the garlic with straw to protect it.

I live in the metrotown area

I live in the metrotown area of burnaby bc. Though bordering vancouver to the west & richmond to the south. At just 300m Burnaby sees the number of cooler days & earlier, deeper lasting snows are on ave years considerable in late nov to early march. The 2000's are an exception excluding 2008-09 when buraby saw nearly 200 cm's in a 4 week period. However many such events with temps of -18 (low) & -10 daytime highs though somewhat rare have occuredoccured several winters in the last 60 years. The ave snowfall of 45 cm's at YVR (Richmond) -9' below sea level & where the GVRD has its weather measured is sparsely populated sich that central Vancouver seems a different region many winters. This affects forecasting done in Toronto leaving many of our harshest winter storm post forcasted. The latter 60's early & mid 70's are an example...68-69; 71-72 75-76, 81-82, 84-85;85-86; 88-89;90-91; 92-93; 96-97; 97-
98 some good few examples.The 2000's are less typical excluding a couple years & 2008-09 where we had over 200 cm's from before xmas until Feb...I would love to see data collected for Burnaby heights & the tri-cities...this would with historic charts counted over at least 60 years.

2008-09 wherewe had approxlso

Would love to see dates for

Would love to see dates for Bridesville, BC and Rock Creek, BC if possible. I'm at 3500 ft and really need to keep track of that first frost. If I can get past that one, we usually see 2 more weeks of frost free days adding to the very short growing season. Thanks

We do not have frost

We do not have frost information for Bridesville/Rock Creek. Environment Canada is updating their frost information and we hope to get some updated dates in the near future. You can go to http://climate.weather.gc.ca/ and type in your location to get some historical weather data. It looks like your average first frost date is in mid- to late-October.

In 2013 the first frost came

In 2013 the first frost came in conjunction with the Harvest Moon, I suppose it varied slightly from ranch to ranch due to the lay of the land. We had 2 nights of "light" frost, then, the very hard frost came about 2 weeks after that. In 2012, (going only from memory), we received the first frost about the same time and had another 2-3 weeks of frost free growing.

3) There is also a service called "Weather One-on-One" where you can talk to an Environment Canada meteorologist on the phone, for a fee per minute (about $2.99 per minute, plus taxes). The number is: 1-900-565-5555

I appreciate your website

I appreciate your website I've got a lot of helpful info in place. But I'm wondering if you could add a few more spots for Nova Scotia such as Bridgewater, Liverpool, Shelburne, Barrington Passage, Clarks Harbour, Digby, Pubnico and Argyle.

We will update all our

We will update all our Canadian frost dates and add locations when Environment Canada has updated their database. You can find some additional locations for Nova Scotia atwww.gardencoacheschat.com/cana...

I am trying to find "Frost

I am trying to find "Frost Date" information for my city in Canada but even googling I can only find this stat for only a limited # of Ontario locations. Any ideas where are more comprehensive data base can be found on-line?

Dear sirs: To claim that the

Dear sirs: To claim that the Greater Toronto Area has only 149 frost free days,with all due respect,is utterly absurd,even though,toronto's growing season fluctuates considerably from year to year,it's hard to beleave that Hamilton,which is only about 20 miles away from Toronto would have such longer a growing season than Greater Toronto.

These dates are from

These dates are from Environment Canada, compiled from data between 1961 through 1990. We will investigate whether they have made any recent revisions to their dates.

In the meantime, you might check the following Web page from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. This page lists frost dates from Ontario. According to this study, using data from 1976 through 2000, Toronto is in Zone B, where the average frost dates are April 30 and October 13.

With all due

With all due respect...Hamilton is more like 50+ miles south of Toronto. Some of the factors that may contribute to the difference are that Hamilton also has the escarpment which surrounds much of this area. The escarpment provides allot of protection like a micro-climate. I also believe that having the influence of 2 great lakes around us has an effect as well. At least some things to consider.

I would like to see some

I would like to see some frost dates for Labrador. NF is not just the island of Newfoundland. I live in Western Labrador and there is nothing for Labrador or even Northern Quebec to estimate off of. Please help.

You have a great almanac for

You have a great almanac for many things but your frost dates for Charlottetown,PEI and for Abbotsford,BC are totally incorrect.
I grew up in PEI and lived there for 40 years. Then I moved to Chilliwack,BC twenty years ago.
I am an avid gardener and I know for a fact that PEI gets a late snowstorm every year in May. In fact, I have seen snow in PEI every month of the year except July and August! The frost warning is only up about June 10th or so. ( Call them at Vesey Seeds, Charlottetown, PEI because they would always warn us to not plant seedlings until the frost warning was up in June!
As for Abbotsford, BC---- I live just a half hour drive east of Abbotsford in Chilliwack,BC and Abbotsford's winter/spring weather is definitely warmer than here in Chilliwack. There is a definite difference of earlier warmth in Abbotsford than in Chilliwack. The farther east you go from Vancouver, the cooler it gets in springtime before hot summer weather descends.
Your frost predictions seem about on for Chilliwack,BC but are definitely incorrect for PEI and for Abbotsford,BC.
I hope this helps you with creating a more accurate almanac.

Hi, Elizabeth, Thanks for

Hi, Elizabeth, Thanks for your kind words. The frost data reference is Environment Canada. (We do not create frost dates.) Dates are calculated based on a 30 year rolling average of the last spring and first fall frosts from station data compiled between the years 1961 to 1990. Keep in mind that these trended frost dates do not really address microclimates so your own records may provide a better average for your needs. See more here: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca...

Air temperature is not

Air temperature is not affected by Moon phase. It is affected by the season and whether there is a cloud cover, among other things. On a clear night, heat rises from Earth if there is no cloud cover holding it in. This might make you think it's colder because there is a full Moon, but it's really colder just because the sky is clear.

This is great, thank you!

This is great, thank you! How about St. Catharines (6a and 6b depending where in city https://glfc.cfsnet.nfis.org/m...) and any predictions for last frost for 2012 since it has been one of the warmest with low temps predicted to be higher than seasonal highs for the next couple weeks?

Thank you!

The Abbotsford, B.C. data

The Abbotsford, B.C. data can't possibly be correct as it lies between Vancouver and Chilliwack but is slightly more south? The first frost does not come before Halloween, ever. I always leave my houseplants outside until the week of Halloween. The data should be somewhere between Vancouver and Chilliwack data, as Chilliwack is usually a little colder Thanks.

The data is correct last year

The data is correct last year Agassiz hit 50 F in the middle of winter it was very strange as the only other place was San Fransisco I checked the current temps on google earth. Also we are the hottest spot on record in the fraser valley. 20 minutes east of Chilliwack I guess it must be the mountains holding the heat.

The Environment Canada people

The Environment Canada people at the airport frequently do not identify the correct conditions on their website, ie the clouds versus sun etc. We have far more frost free days than what information they have supplied you with. Thanks!